Methods of combating the red palm weevil

Red palm weevil

The red palm weevil is a type of beetle that is considered one of the most dangerous pests that attack palm trees in many Gulf countries, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, India, and Pakistan. This pest causes many economic problems for farmers and lack of production, but there are several Ways to get rid of this problem, so in this article we will mention ways to combat the red palm weevil.

Methods of combating the red palm weevil

Agricultural quarantine

Transferring palm tree cuttings from the infected area to new, uninfected areas is one of the most important methods used to prevent the spread of the red palm weevil, and establishing external and internal agricultural quarantine is considered one of the methods used to combat this pest.

Agricultural services

Clean the top of the palm tree continuously, protect the axil of the fronds from exposure to decaying organic materials, cut the fronds that are less than 120 centimeters from the base of the palm tree, take care of the wound in the palm tree, get rid of the palm remains, and use appropriate fungicides to treat the rotting fungi that affect the buds and leaves, as they It makes the palm tree susceptible to red mite infection.

mechanical control

This involves eliminating the remains of palm trees, dead palm trees, and palm trees infested with red weevils by cutting them into small pieces and burning them until the weevils are killed.

Use pheromone traps

This method is used to attract the red palm weevil. The benefits of pheromone traps lie in determining the time of the appearance of the pest in large quantities within a year in palm farms, determining the date of the decrease in the density of the insect pest, and determining a plan to begin combating the red palm weevil.

The Saudi trap

One of the best methods used to eliminate insects in large quantities in the region is to use (aggregation pheromone) with cutting the trunk of a palm tree, or cuttings of sugarcane soaked with the appropriate pesticide in the Saudi trap, which is a five-liter container equipped with four side holes with a long edge reaching the container. It is 2.5 centimeters high and one centimeter wide and is suspended using a cover.

Chemical control

This method is applied by getting rid of the affected area, and cleaning it from any stage of the development of this pest by spraying it with appropriate pesticides and mixing it with a clay mixture to protect it.

How to prevent red palm weevil pest

Avoid causing any wounds to the palm trees because they are considered the best places where the females of the red palm weevil lay their eggs. Therefore, they must be immersed using chemical pesticides, which is one of the methods that prevent pests from entering the palm trees.